MyGolfRanking International, OCTOBER 27

1 Scott Hunter (Tillicoultry) 1185 pts
2 Craig Meeks (Thornton) 1157
3 Adam Jobes (Seacroft) 1150
4 Jo Elson (Aqualate) 1133.33
5 Lewis Blyth (Prestonfield) 1132.5 
6 Gary Barclay (Torrance Park) 1125
7 Roger Leslie (Spey Bay) 1105
8 Ricky McNeill (Dunnikier Park) 1102
9 Douglas Taylor (Dunfermline) 1100
10 Ian Gorn (Aberdour) 1092
11 Kevin Wood (Prestonfield) 1085, 12 Daniel Alexander (Kingsknowe) 1075, 13 William Barwood (Langlands) 1072, 14 Peter Miller (Milngavie) 1067, 15 Rob Evans (Aldridge Artisans) 1063.  

For up-to-date ranking lists of participating clubs, the full Regional and National Rankings and how it works, visit www.mygolfranking.net

This week’s MyGolfRanking Golfer of the Week is Scott Hunter of Tillicoultry Golf Club, who retains his No 1 spot for a third week.                                                                                                                          

The MyGolfRanking Club of the Week is Kingsknowe Golf Club, Edinburgh.

MyGolfRanking Women

1 Jo Elson (Aqualate) 1133 pts

2 Laura McGeachy (Windyhill) 1043

3 Mary Carragher (Arrowe Park) 1021

4 Emily Aird (Blairgowrie) 1010

5 Susan Baldwin (Scotscraig) 988.

MyGolfRanking Clubs

1 Kingsknowe 879 pts

2 Prestonfield (Scotland) 871

3 Dunfermline 870

4 Aberdour 864

5 Blairgowrie 861.

David Moir

in LEAGUE with GOLF Ltd
23 Links Road
Lundin Links
Leven
Fife KY8 6AS
Scotland

info@mygolfranking.net
+44 (0)7789 373216

KIRKHILL YOUNGSTER'S 74 BEST ON JUNIOR TOUR EVENT AT DALMAHOY

Today's scores from the Scottish Junior Golf Tour event at Dalmahoy's West course. 

What a great day for playing golf! The juniors showed incredible grit and enthusiasm playing in strong winds and increasingly heavy rain as the day progressed. 

The scoring was very good considering the conditions. The mid-summer looking manicured greens helped.  It was a Level 2 and 3 event. 

Lewis Irvine had the best score of the day - a six over par 74. George Cannon won the Under-12s category with an 80.

LEADING SCORES

Under-15s

74 Lewis Irvine (Kirkhill)

79 Craig Jackman (Dunblane), Adam McKinstray (Douglas Park)

80 Ibrahim Hussain (Eastwood), Jack Williams (Sandyhills), Graeme Winney (Dunfermline)

Under-12s

80 George Cannon ( Falkirk)        

82 Craig Stirling (Troon Welbeck), Ewan Wheat (Royal Montrose)

86 Harry Clark (Auchterarder), Scott Souter (Hilton Park)

 

The handicap prize was won by Scott Souter with a nett 55.

Jonathan Torrance (Drumpellier) won the skills challenges.

Walter Burns

Scottish Junior Golf Tour

 

Mob: 07951 103 827

 

Email: walter@scottishjuniorgolftour.co.uk

Web: www.scottishjuniorgolftour.co.uk

 

NORTH SCOTTISH ALLIANCE DRAW FOR BOAT OF GARTEN ON SATURDAY

Competitors will leave the tee at 8min intervals in Saturday's North Scottish Golfers' Alliance fixture at Boat of Garten. Late entries and scratchings will be taken by telephone  01343812241 or e.mail  alan.nsga@btinternet.com

Abbreviations: BG, Boat of Garten; E, Elgin; F, Forres; FR, Fortrose and Rosemarkie; G, Grantown; I, Inverness; LN, Loch Ness; M, Moray; MO, Muir of Ord; ND, Nairn Dunbar; R, Rothes; SB, Spey Bay; T, Torvean.

8.00 S Duncan (M), B Cruickshank (SB), N McWilliam (E); A W Mair (M), D Mcgrouther (I), K Thomson (M); R Laing (G), J A Grant (G), T Madden (E); S Harper (E), K Stables (E), partner;  R Stewart (N/D), S Wilson (I), I Macaulay (E); D R Mackellar (G), G H Hay (G), J S D Campbell (G); A Anderson (G), A Casey (M), D Thom (G); W B Johnston (M), A McWilliam (M), D Johnston (M);

9.04 J K England (M), A J England (M), partner; S Taylor (BG), J R Ingram (BG), partner; R Mckerron (F),  J Simpson (F), B R Fotheringham (I); I Turner (BG), B Murray (BG), L Dickson (BG); R S Coupar (BG), S Rooney (BG), R Harrower (BG); T Loynes (BG), A Boxx (BG), L Macbean (BG); A Waterson (BG), M McDonald (BG), L Stewart (G)

10.00 A Grigor (BG), D Ross (BG), I Murray (BG); R Quinn (BG), S Glen (BG), J Macdonald (I); L Reid (FR), C Gaittens (FR), J Wright (F); M Windsor (F/R), A Cameron (FR), J Shaw (BG); F Hutchison (I), A Hutchison (I), W Hutchison (I); A Macintosh (T), L Hutchison (I), B Rennie (I); A Jackson (R), R Mackie (R), P Masson (R);  L Duncan (E), G Shanks (E), G Donaldson (E)

11.04  R R Adams (M), I Hamilton (E), W R Duncan (M); S Johnston (E), D Hector (E), S Mullen (E);  N McAskill (F), L Crawford (M), J R Souter (M); D Spence (FR), D Macleod (LN), partner; W Donnelly (FR), G Allan (ND), partner; A Imrie (MO), W Weatherall (MO), V Tilman (MO)  

12.00 F Mackellar (G), I Laing (G), P Matheson (G); I Brown (G), L F Grant (G), D Macleod (G); J Lees (M), G Lees (E), M McAllan (E); R Innes (T), W Rusk (T), R H Stewart (T); D Chisholm (F/R), S Chisholm (FR), K Williamson (FR); M Lyall (T), K Barnett (T), partner; A Cowie (M), H M Bunker (ND), D D Bunker (ND)

ROOKE KAKKO SEALS EUROPEAN TOUR PROMOTION AFTER TWO-SHOT WIN IN OMAN CLASSIC

CHALLENGE TOUR REPORT FROM EUROPEAN TOUR COMMUNICATIONS                            

Rooke Kakko sealed his card for 

The 2014 European Tour season as 

the Finn claimed his first title as a 

professional with a nerveless 

performance and a two-shot win in 

the inaugural National Bank of 

Oman Golf Classic.

In searing hot conditions at the majestic Almouj Golf, The Wave in 

the Omani capital of Muscat, the 31 year old produced a final round 

worthy of the occasion in the penultimate event of the European 

Challenge Tour season.

The victory, courtesy of a three under par final round of 69, elevated the Orlando-based player from 17^th to sixth in the Rankings, 

guaranteeing him one of the cards that will go to the leading 15 in 

the Rankings after this coming week’s Dubai Festival City Challenge 

Tour Grand Final hosted by Al Badia Golf Club.

While Kakko began with two birdies to extend his one-shot 

overnight lead to three before moving four clear at one point, it was 

no walk in the park for the man whose only previous victory on the 

Challenge Tour came as an amateur and on home soil back in 2004.

Dane Lucas Bjerregaard made an almighty push for the title 

midway through the day when he carded three consecutive 

birdies from the tenth hole to get within one of Kakko.

A bogey for Bjerregaard at the 13^th and a birdie for Kakko at the 14^th meant the gap was back to three and, while the Dane picked up one more shot at the par five 16^th to ensure a nervy finish, Kakko pierced the middle of the fairway with his drive down the 18^th 

before finishing with a solid par to clinch the title on 14 under.

“Today I felt like this was my moment, when I was going to grab 

hold of it, so it feels amazing,” said Kakko, who let out an almighty 

roar when he holed the final putt. “What an accomplishment. I'm 

just so proud of how I handled myself on the golf course and how I 

kept hitting good shots and good putts.

“After I hit that tee shot at 18 I figured that had to be pretty much it. 

I saw that Bjerregaard made par on the last so the drive was the big 

one, not the putt. I haven’t won as a professional and that’s why 

we’re here every week. We want to win these tournaments and I've 

had a couple of chances.

“It’s unbelievable to have a European Tour card secured. When 

you set yourself a goal for top 15 and then accomplish that, it’s 

such a fulfilling feeling.

“I don’t have words for it. I'm so happy, just delighted. I get to go 

home now to my family after Grand Final and I don’t have to go to 

Qualifying School, so that’s such a big plus. I think I get to play the 

World Cup with Mikko Korhonen too so that’s going to be a nice 

Christmas present.”

Bjerregaard, meanwhile, was disappointed to have missed out 

having come close, but having needed a huge result this week just to 

secure a place in the season-ending Grand Final, he was delighted to have achieved that goal by moving from 57^th in the Rankings to 35^th.

“It was a day of mixed emotions alright,” said the 22 year old, who 

signed for a five under 67 to finish on 12 under. “I needed a second 

place or maybe third alone. I went out there and knew what I had to 

do and I did it so I'm feeling very good right now.”

Daniel Im, meanwhile, struggled to keep up with his playing partner 

Kakko throughout the day and could only manage a level par 72 to 

finish in third place on ten under par, but that was enough to move him inside the top 15 of the Rankings - from 21^st to 13^th - heading 

into the crucial finale.

FINAL TOTALS

Par 288 (4x72)

274 R Kakko  (Fin) 70 69 66 69

276 L Bjerregaard  (Den) 76 68 65 67

278 D Im (USA) 69 69 68 72

281 B Stone (RSA) 71 68 74 68, M Ford (Eng) 72 74 68 67

283 J Carlsson (Swe) 72 72 70 69, J Huldahl (Den) 76 67 66 74, B An (SKor) 79 68 71 65

284 S Kim (Kor) 71 74 68 71, N Elvira  (Esp) 74 70 73 67, A McArthur  (Sco) 71 74 69 70, N Ravano (Ita) 68 72 75 69, M Crespi  (Ita) 72 67 69 76, G Cambis  (Fra) 76 66 73 69, L Goddard  (Eng) 78 67 69 70, T Pilkadaris (Aus) 71 69 72 72

285 S Arnold  (Aus) 71 71 72 71

286 G Stal  (Fra) 74 72 68 72, J Elson  (Eng) 74 73 72 67, G Murray  (Sco) 74 72 66 74, R Russell (Sco) 75 70 68 73, W Besseling  (Ned) 74 72 70 70, N Kimsey (am) (Eng) 71 72 74 69

287 S Walker (Eng) 74 73 73 67, R McGowan  (Eng) 72 72 75 68

288 A Marshall (Eng) 72 74 69 73, J Dantorp (Swe) 74 70 72 72

289 J Moul  (Eng) 72 69 71 77, D Ulrich (Sui) 73 75 70 71, K Borsheim  (Nor) 75 69 74 71, E Dubois (Fra) 72 75 70 72, D Stewart (Sco) 71 72 72 74

290 R Davies (Wal) 77 68 75 70, N Lemke (Swe) 71 74 71 74, B Longmuir (Sco) 74 74 69 73, S Tiley (Eng) 78 70 72 70, B Paolini (USA) 72 74 71 73, J Guerrier  (Fra) 68 74 72 76, M Jonzon (Swe) 75 72 73 70

291 V Riu  (Fra) 75 71 70 75, A Otaegui  (Esp) 74 74 69 74, A Domingo (Esp) 72 71 71 77, A Gee  (Eng) 71 73 74 73, A Pavan (Ita) 72 71 73 75, D Huizing (Ned) 75 69 70 77, F Praegant (Aut) 78 70 67 76, J McLeary  (Sco) 72 74 75 70

292 L Jensen (Den) 74 71 76 71, C Del Moral (Esp) 74 66 74 78, C Aguilar  (Esp) 71 70 79 72, B Ritthammer (Ger) 76 71 73 72

293 M Lampert (Ger) 73 75 71 74

294 T Nørret (Den) 75 72 74 73, J Barnes (Eng) 72 72 76 74, R Dinwiddie  (Eng) 75 70 75 74, O Wilson (Eng) 74 70 79 71

295 P Archer (Eng) 77 71 75 72, N Dougherty  (Eng) 73 68 76 78, M Haastrup  (Den) 74 74 72 75, P Dwyer (Eng) 73 68 71 83

296 L Saltman (Sco) 76 72 76 72, J Fahrbring (Swe) 74 72 74 76, C Ford (Eng) 70 78 78 70

297 J Abbott (Eng) 74 72 77 74

 

EUROPEAN TOUR COMMUNICATIONS

THREE SCOTS QUALIFY FOR DJBAI CHALLENGE TOUR GRAND FINAL

The top 45 in the Challenge Tour Rankings, listed below, head into the Dubai Festival City Challenge Tour Grand Final hosted by Al Badia Golf Club.

There are three Scots in the leading 45 - Duncan Stewart from Grantown on Spey in 17th place with £56,573; Andrew McArthur from Glasgow in 26th place with £46,114, and Peterhead-born Jamie McLeary from Edinburgh in 33rd place with £44,597 in earnings.

The top 15 in the Rankings at the conclusion of the tournament earn a European Tour card.

 

 TOP 45 WHO HAVE QUALIFIED FOR 
CHALLENGE TOUR GRAND FINAL
1 Andrew PAVAN  (Italy) £111,557.37
2 Brooks KOEPKA (USA) £100,866.49
3 Johan CARLSSON (Sweden) £87,088.70
4 Daan HUIZING (Netherlands) £86,665.65
5 Adrian OTAEGUI (Spain) £86,522.91
6 Roope KAKKO (Finland) £82,107.62
7 José-Filipe LIMA (Portugal) £79,623.54
8 Sihwan KIM (S Korea) £78,448.20
9 Victor RIU (France) £71,920.30
10 Robert DINWIDDIE (England) £71,140.80
11 François CALMELS (France) £70,514.72
12 Tyrrell HATTON (England) £67,487.64
13 Daniel IM (USA) £61,943.97
14 Sam WALKER (England) £61,892.00
15 Nacho ELVIRA (Spain) £61,513.00
16 Marco CRESPI (Italy) £61,030.94
17 Duncan STEWART (Scotland)  £56,713.09
18  Jens DANTORP (Sweden) £54,573.93
19 Jordi GARCIA PINTO (Spain) £52,310.12
20 Shiv KAPUR (India) £52,089.70
21 Stuart MANLEY (Wales) £50,496.35
22 Byeong-hun AN (S Korea) £49,628.04
23 Phillip ARCHER (England) £47,470.26
24 Agustin DOMINGO (Spain) £47,229.75
25 Jens FAHRBRING (Sweden)  £46,873.85
26 Andrew McARTHUR (Scotland) £46,114.31
27 Edouard DUBOIS FRA 54,281.44 £45,846.81
28 Tim SLUITER NED 54,082.00 £45,678.36
29 Brinson PAOLINI USA 52,925.27 £44,701.37
30 Rhys DAVIES WAL 50,499.19 £42,652.27
31 Dylan FRITTELLI (S Africa) £42,627.76
32 Daniel GAUNT (Australia) £42,436.72
33 Jamie McLEARY (Scotland) £41,597.82
34 Jamie ELSON (England) £40,615.08
35 Lucas BJERREGAARD (Denmark) £39,819.79
36 Steven TILEY (England) £39,709.14
37 Bernd RITTHAMMER (Germany) £38,361.80
38 Lloyd KENNEDY (England) £37,290.33
39 Jeppe HULDAHL (Denmark) £37,095.33
40 Oliver WILSON (England) £34,753.58
41 Adam GEE (England) £33,333.50
42 Wil BESSELING (Netherlands) £31,654.06
43 Thomas NØRRET (Denmark) £31,430.28
44 Niklas LEMKE (Sweden) £30,954.49
45 Julien GUERRIER (France) £30,498.72

NON-QUALIFIERS INCLUDED
46 Terry PILKADARIS (Australia) £30,124.
47 Pelle EDBERG (Sweden) £30,018.
48 Matt FORD (England) £29,640.
49 Knut BORSHEIM (Norway) £29,553.
50 Daniel BROOKS (England) £28,781
54 George Murray (Scotland) £23,787.
60 Raymond Russell (Scotland) £20,361
93 Wallace Booth (Scotland) £9,449.
96 Lloyd Saltman (Scotland) £8,640.

MOORE AND WOODLAND RETURN FOR MONDAY MORNING PLAY-OFF

NEWS RELEASE FROM THE ASIAN TOUR

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, October 27: Americans Ryan Moore and Gary Woodland will return on Monday morning, 7.30am local time for a sudden-death play-off to determine the champion at the US$7 million CIMB Classic after tying on 14-under-par 274 in a weather-hit final round on Sunday.

Moore and Woodland, both two-time PGA TOUR winners, posted a 70 and 69 respectively on a drama-filled day which included two weather suspensions due to lightning storms at the Kuala Lumpur Golf and Country Club’s West course.

Thai rising star Kiradech Aphibarnrat finished joint third with American Chris Stroud, one back of the leaders, in the event sanctioned by the Asian Tour and US PGA Tour.

Moore, who finished tied fifth in the inaugural CIMB Classic in 2010, will not lose any sleep after concluding an energy-sapping day with four birdies against two bogeys. The American, ranked 45^th in the world, has been in contention since opening a superb 63.

“Honestly it is a little bit of a blur right now because today was so crazy with the weather on and off, and I think we're both pretty happy we just got done at this point. To come back tomorrow for a play-off is not the worst thing ever. I'm just happy to be in it,” said Moore.

“I'm fairly exhausted at this point, so sleeping should not be difficult. I'm going to get back to the hotel, get something to eat real fast, and I'll probably be out as soon as I hit the bed,” added the 30-year-old, who spent time playing ‘Candy Crush’ during the weather suspensions.

The 29-year-old Woodland, who was one shot back at the start of the final day, narrowly missed a 10-foot birdie putt on 18 for the outright victory. “I knew I needed to make it to win. I played it just outside right and thought I hit a good putt.

" It just broke too much at the end. It was a tough day and obviously to come down to the last putt, obviously I’d like to have made it but I wouldn’t do anything differently,” said Woodland.

“It was a long day, and like Ryan said, thankfully we got done, and there's a lot of worse things. 

"Changing a flight is not the end of the world, to come back and have a play-off tomorrow.  Excited about that, and should be a fun day tomorrow,” he smiled.

Current Asian Tour number one Kiradech took pride with his wonderful performance which virtually placed one hand on the Asian Tour’s Order of Merit.

“I saw my name on the top of the leaderboard, I think I put too much pressure on myself on the back nine. I tried too hard to make a score. I told myself that you have the opportunity to win this PGA TOUR event, it changes your life, changes your future,” said Kiradech.

Australian Aaron Baddley closed with a 66 to take fifth place while world number three Phil Mickelson of the United States shot a 74 to finish tied 19^th on 283.

FINAL TOTALS

Par 288 (4x72) Yardage: 6,924 

274 Ryan Moore (USA) 63-72-69-70, Gary Woodland (USA) 68-70-67-69 (Monday morning play-off)

275 Kiradech Aphibarnrat (THA) 67-69-69-70, Chris Stroud (USA) 67-69-68-71.

276 Aaron Baddeley (AUS) 73-67-70-66.

277 Jimmy Walker (USA) 74-68-67-68.

278 Charles Howell III (USA) 69-72-69-68, Harris English (USA) 71-67-71-69, Graham DeLaet (CAN) 72-67-68-71.

279 Keegan Bradley (USA) 65-66-76-72.

280 Billy Horschel (USA) 72-69-72-67, Sergio Garcia (ESP) 66-71-71-72, Stewart Cink (USA) 70-68-69-73.

281 K J Choi (SKOR) 68-71-70-72, Bryce Molder (USA) 73-69-67-72.

282 Jeff Overton (USA) 73-67-72-70, Bill Haas (USA) 72-67-71-72, Shiv Kapur (IND) 69-70-71-72.

283 Rickie Fowler (USA) 71-72-73-67, Kevin Stadler (USA) 71-69-73-70, Bo Van Pelt (USA) 72-77-69-65, Phil Mickelson (USA) 71-70-68-74, Kyle Stanley (USA) 73-67-68-75, Jerry Kelly (USA) 71-69-66-77.

FROM THE US PGA TOUR WEBSITE

In the final round of the 2013 CIMB Classic at Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, American Ryan Moore holed a gritty par putt in near-darkness and wet conditions on the par-5 final hole to force a play-off with compatriot Gary Woodland.

Woodland had faced a 10ft birdie putt to win in regulation, but his putt just skirted the cup. The pair will return to the course at 7:30 a.m. local time Monday for a sudden-death shoot-our.

Both players will be going for their third US PGA Tour title. Play will resume on the 634yd par-5 18th, and Golf Channel will televise it live.
This is Moore's third US Tour play-off, and Woodland's second.
"To have to come back tomorrow for a playoff is not the worst thing ever," Moore said. "I'm just happy to be in it. I was scrambling there on the last hole just to somehow make a par and kind of see what happens at that point, and fortunately I still get another shot at it."
Moore birdied the short par-4 16th to get to 14 under, then parred the last two holes. Woodland had a one-shot lead through two rain delays before Moore tied things up.
Woodland still had the edge heading into the long par-5 18th. He played three textbook shots, but his birdie putt didn't go in.
"Tt just broke too much at the end there," Woodland said. "But it was a tough day, and obviously to come down to the last putt, I'd like to have made it, but I wouldn't do anything different. I hit it where I wanted to, and unfortunately it didn't go in."
Thailand's Kiradech Aphibarnrat, the Asian Tour's top player, shot 70 and finished joint third, one shot out of the playoff. 
Chris Stroud, who was playing the final round with Moore and Woodland, also was one shot back after his birdie chip just missed the hole on the 18th.

TO VIEW ALL THE FINAL TOTALS

CLICK HERE 

JAMIESON JOINT 8TH FINISH BEHIND BMW MASTERS WINNER FERNANDEZ-CASTANO

                   GONZALO FERNANDEZ-CASTANO with the BMW Masters Trophy
   
REPORT FROM EUROPEAN TOUR COMMUNICATIONS

Gonzalo Fernandez-Castaño produced a superb display in Shanghai to win his seventh European Tour title at the BMW Masters presented by SRE Group, the first event of the Final Series.

Fernandez-Castaño’s closing round of 68 gave him an 11 under par aggregate winning total at Lake Malaren Golf Club, finishing one shot ahead of Seve Trophy team-mate Francesco Molinari – who started the day six shots off the pace – and Thailand’s Thongchai Jaidee. 

The Spaniard endured a wobble at the final hole, where he found two bunkers en route to a double bogey six, but his earlier exploits had given him enough of a cushion to capture his third BMW-sponsored event, following victory in last year’s Italian Open and the 2006 Asian Open.

Despite a front nine of 34, Molinari’s prospects of securing victory seemed to have disappeared with a bogey at the 12th hole. But the Ryder Cup star then embarked on a remarkable run, notching an eagle on the par five 13th and following that up with four birdies in succession to join Fernandez-Castaño on ten under.

Fernandez-Castaño edged back into the lead with a birdie on the 13th and looked to have sealed a comfortable win with further gains at the 15th and 17th, where he chipped in from just over the green.

He made hard work of the last, however, finding sand off the tee and another bunker with his third shot before holding his nerve to collect the winner’s cheque for €851,346 and, with it, a place in next week’s lucrative WGC-HSBC Champions event, the second tournament in the Final Series.

He said: “It’s the first event of the first ever Final Series and I got the victory, so it doesn’t get any better than that. This win has come along at just the right time – I wasn’t in the HSBC next week, and also it’s perfect timing because it’s The Ryder Cup qualification period right now. There’s never a bad time for a victory, but this has been just perfect. 

“It seems that I always play well at this event – it’s probably the whole atmosphere. BMW is one of the great supporters of The European Tour through the years. They know how to run events and they make the players feel so comfortable.

“And it was great to see the crowds this week, they have been pretty amazing. They were definitely bigger than in previous years, and that just shows that golf is growing here in China. There’s so much potential, and the country has a very bright future ahead.” 

Joint overnight leader Luke Guthrie of America finished in fourth place on nine under par after closing with a 71.

The lowest round of the day was posted by defending champion Peter Hanson, who surged from joint 31st overnight into a tie for eighth place courtesy of a 63 which included 11 birdies.

His fellow Swede Henrik Stenson also made the most of the more benign conditions, closing with a round of 65 to finish in a tie for 34th place and extend his lead over Graeme McDowell at the top of The Race to Dubai Rankings.

FINAL TOTALS
Par 288 (4x72) 

277 G Fernandez-Castaño  (Spain) 71 71 67 68

278 T Jaidee (Tha) 70 70 72 66, F Molinari (Ita) 72 71 71 64

279 L Guthrie (USA) 65 71 72 71

280 P Larrazábal (Esp) 70 73 69 68, T Björn (Den) 73 72 69 66, P Uihlein  (USA) 69 75 69 67

281 R Cabrera-Bello (Esp) 73 68 67 73, P Casey  (Eng) 70 70 71 70, S Jamieson  (Sco) 72 68 71 70, P Hanson (Swe) 79 68 71 63

282 M Fraser (Aus) 73 70 70 69

283 M Kaymer (Ger) 75 71 70 67, G Bourdy (Fra) 70 73 67 73

284 I Poulter (Eng) 74 69 72 69, B Rumford (Aus) 73 69 75 67

285 R Gonzalez (Arg) 73 67 74 71, C Lee (Sco) 70 70 71 74, G Mulroy (RSA) 74 72 71 68, S Kjeldsen (Den) 76 71 67 71, D Horsey (Eng) 72 72 72 69, B Wiesberger  (Aut) 75 69 69 72, E De La Riva  (Esp) 75 72 70 68

286 S Lowry  (Irl) 78 71 70 67, L Westwood (Eng) 72 71 70 73, D Fichardt (RSA) 74 75 72 65

287 P Harrington (Irl) 72 72 70 73, D Willett  (Eng) 74 72 70 71, R McIlroy  (Nir) 71 72 71 73

288 M Kieffer (Ger) 72 72 70 74

289 R Sterne  (RSA) 74 72 71 72, L Donald  (Eng) 75 72 71 71, T Olesen (Den) 75 70 72 72

290 J Quesne  (Fra) 73 77 72 68, R Fisher (Eng) 75 70 72 73, M Siem  (Ger) 81 71 71 67, R Santos  (Por) 77 76 73 64, T Fleetwood  (Eng) 72 77 71 70, P Lawrie (Sco) 74 73 72 71, J Donaldson (Wal) 79 70 71 70, H Stenson (Swe) 72 74 79 65

291 L Hao-Tong (Chn) 78 72 75 66, P McGinley (Irl) 77 71 70 73

292 M Griffin (Aus) 74 72 74 72, N Colsaerts  (Bel) 74 76 72 70, V Dubuisson  (Fra) 78 75 72 67, A Cañizares  (Esp) 75 75 73 69

293 J Daly (USA) 68 74 78 73, W Ashun (Chn) 73 76 75 69, R Jacquelin (Fra) 76 72 72 73, M Ilonen  (Fin) 80 70 70 73, S Webster (Eng) 79 73 70 71

294 L Wen-Chong (Chn) 75 75 74 70, G McDowell  (Nir) 70 74 76 74, A Noren  (Swe) 74 76 75 69, S Gallacher (Sco) 77 71 74 72

295 G Coetzee (RSA) 78 74 74 69, F Aguilar (Chi) 77 72 74 72

296 L Oosthuizen  (RSA) 74 77 70 75

297 M Jiménez (Esp) 74 75 75 73

299 D Howell (Eng) 76 74 79 70, Z Lian-Wei (Chn) 78 74 75 72, B Grace  (RSA) 79 69 75 76, T Aiken (RSA) 80 70 75 74

300 S Khan (Eng) 77 76 73 74

302 S Dong (Chn) 76 75 74 77

303 H Mu (Chn) 75 73 75 80, M Warren (Sco) 73 77 76 77, H Ming-Jie (Chn) 81 75 72 75

305 Z Xin-Jun (Chn) 76 77 76 76, L Xin-Yang (Chn) 77 77 76 75

306 H Wen-Yi (Chn) 71 79 78 78, H Shao-Cai (Chn) 83 73 78 72

308 L Yan-Wei (Chn) 78 77 76 77

309 C Wood  (Eng) 79 83 74 73

318 L Xuen-Cheng (Chn) 85 78 78 77

 ** S Dyson  (Eng) 70 70 DQ  

 ** J Luiten (Ned) RT  

EUROPEAN TOUR COMMUNICATIONS

VETERAN SCOT'S PART IN GOLF DEVELOPMENT IN OMAN

BILL LONGMUIR ... key figure in Oman golf development over the years

 

NEWS RELEASE

This week’s inaugural National Bank of Oman Golf Classic is not just one of the biggest sporting events the country has ever seen, it is also the culmination of decades of hard work and Scotland’s golfing veteran Bill Longmuir has been there from the very beginning.

It was a fitting tribute that the eight-time European Senior Tour winner received a sponsor’s invite from the National Bank of Oman to play in the tournament and he took full advantage, making the weekend cut before a superb three under par third round 69 shot him up the leaderboard for the final round.

The National Bank of Oman Golf Classic, however, is not just a golf tournament for Longmuir. It is the first giant step in putting Oman on the world golf map after 30 years of involvement in building the game in the Sultanate.

It’s a fascinating story of literally building the game in Oman from foundations made of sand. Longmuir explains:

 “The link started about 30 years ago when I met Oman’s late His Highness Kais bin Tarik al-Said. I happened to meet His Highness through a horse trainer friend of mine at Newmarket racecourse. I was keen on horseracing and so was HH Kais.

“We got on like a house on fire from the outset. He enjoyed the banter, so to speak, and I got him into golf. Between myself and my friend Pip Elson, whose son Jamie is playing here this week, we got him into playing in Pro-Ams and he sponsored a few Pro-Ams in Dubai.

“Then I came over here to visit Oman around 20 years ago. At that time, Muscat had one sand course which was reclaimed by the Government to build a hospital and they gave them a site upon which I then designed and built a sand course called Ghala Wentworth.

“The course was finished very quickly, all done with virtually no budget, just volunteers. The course turned out to be very successful and recently it was turned into an 18-hole grass course called Ghala Valley, and the club is going from strength to strength.

“HH Kais and I wanted to create Oman’s first grass course so we started with Muscat Hills. It took over five years to build and it was quite a complicated job. Paul Thomas (son of the late Dave Thomas) designed it and I helped with a couple of holes but it was really Paul’s design.

“We were thrilled with the course which features dry wadi river beds. HH Kais and I hoped that one day Oman would stage a tournament there. It’s certainly a good contrast to Almouj Golf The Wave, which was designed by my good friend Greg Norman, who rates the course one of the finest he has ever created.

“Muscat Hills is more in line with the mountainous, rocky landscape that you can see around Muscat, whereas Almouj Golf is more of a links-style course, so they complement each other.

“What I did notice when I first came to Muscat was that a lot of the Omani nationals wanted to play golf. There was, of course no tradition of golf in Oman but there was a lot of enthusiasm. Unlike some countries, the Omani nationals love their golf and I was encouraged by that, I must admit. 

"Over the years I have watched the game  grow and grow. It’s not just an ex-pat community playing golf here, as it is in many Gulf states, it’s really all about the nationals who love to come out and play. That’s what has been so good about golf out here in Oman.

“During the National Bank of Oman Golf Classic this week it’s been good to hear people talking about golf. With three diverse grass golf courses already well established in Muscat and another 18-hole grass course to be opened here next year, Oman is moving rapidly towards becoming a genuine golfing destination.

“They’re rebuilding the airport nearby which will encourage tourists to come to Oman and enjoy a totally different experience to Dubai.”

To host such an illustrious event in Oman is something Longmuir is immensely proud of and he believes it is a fitting tribute to his friend, His Highness Kais bin Tarik al-Said.

“I am thrilled with the initiative of the National Bank of Oman creating this tournament,” says Longmuir. 

“For me it is Al-Said’s legacy. It means a lot for me to be here competing and see it happen on Greg Norman’s spectacular lay-out and the equally spectacular manner in which it has been staged this week is simply wonderful. 

"The relaxed, friendly atmosphere of this event has made this one of the most enjoyable and memorable weeks of my career.

“Although I'm 60 years old, it’s great for me to have been invited to play in the National Bank of Oman Golf Classic and see these young players competing. They are so strong and the standard on the European Challenge Tour is excellent. It’s been an eye-opener for me and I'm really enjoying every minute of it.”

JAMES WHITE WINS MIDLAND ALLIANCE WITH A 67 AT DRUMOIG

Scotland amateur international James White, a +3 player at Lundin Golf Club, Fife, won the leading scratch prize at this past week's Midland Golfers' Alliance meeting at Drumoig golf course, Fie.

White shot an excellent six-under-par score of 67.

He won by two strokes from Downfield senior tour pro Kenny Hutton.
There was a tie for the top handicap prize btween Derrick Thomson, who plays off five at Downfield, and clubmate Tom Anderson, who has four of a handicap. They both returned net 69s.

 

LEADING SCRATCH

67 J White (Lundin)

69 K Hutton (Downfield) p.          

72 R Bell (Downfield).                  

73 F Robertson (Elie) ap, P Brookes (Pitreavie) p, A J Webster (Edzell) p, J Watt (Edzell), T Anderson (Downfield).

74 D Thomson (Downfield).

75 B Stewart (Tulliallan), S Robertson (Downfield), M Pirie (Pitlochry).

                     

LEADING HANDICAP

69 D Thomson (Downfield) (5), T Anderson (Downfield) (4).

70 J White (Lundin) (+3), J Watt (Edzell) (3).               

71 C Westland (Alloa) (11), J Graham (Alloa) (6), H Grant (Muckhart) (8).

73 D Spaven (Pitlochry) (8), D West (Burntisland) (4).

Qualifiers for the JTC Kitchen Express Midland Golfer’s Alliance Championship in April at Monifieth Links

K. Hutton (Downfield) p

F. Robertson (Elie) ap.

T. Anderson (Downfield) (4)

Qualifiers for the JTC Kitchen Express McQueen Shield at Monifieth Links in April

D. Thomson (Downfield) (5)

T. Anderson (Downfield) (4)

Next Week's Meeting

Wednesday, October 30

Kirriemuir Golf Club

Sponsored by A Herd

Tee reserved: 8.30 - 12.30

Lee Sutherland